| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| Snow Falls in the UAE at Jebel Jais |
| 2009-01-25 |
| RAS AL KHAIMAH // Snow covered the Jebel Jais area for only the second time in recorded history yesterday. Jebel Jais is at about 25N latitude; about the same as Key West FL So rare was the event that one lifelong resident said the local dialect had no word for it. According to the RAK Government, temperatures on Jebel Jais dropped to -3°C on Friday night. On Saturday, the area had reached 1°C. Major Saeed Rashid al Yamahi, a helicopter pilot and the manager of the Air Wing of RAK Police, said the snow covered an area of five kilometres and was 10cm deep. "The sight up there this morning was totally unbelievable, with the snow-capped mountain and the entire area covered with fresh, dazzling white snow," Major al Yamahi said. "The snowfall started at 3pm Friday, and heavy snowing began at 8pm and continued till midnight, covering the entire area in a thick blanket of snow. Much of the snow was still there even when we flew back from the mountain this afternoon. It is still freezing cold up there and there are chances that it might snow again tonight." Aisha al Hebsy, a woman in her 50s who has lived in the mountains near Jebel Jais all her life, said snowfall in the area was so unheard of the local dialect does not even have a word for it. Hail is known as bared, which literally translates as cold. barad is also the old testament word for 'hail' used in the Ten Plagues narrative "Twenty years ago we had lots of hail," said Ms al Hebsy. "Last night was like this. At four in the morning we came out and the ground was white." Jebel Jais was dusted in snow on Dec 28, 2004, the first snowfall in living memory for Ras al Khaimah residents. Jebel Jais is about 4500' high; there is a resort at about the 3000' level which is probably where the temperature was taken |
| Posted by:mhw |
| #3 |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2009-01-25 09:22 |
| #2 When H3ll freezes over? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2009-01-25 02:41 |
| #1 Did Al Gore drop in? |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2009-01-25 00:43 |